Dangerous Horizons
by Maat's Feather
Summary: *Discontinued* Kaiba Corp is faced with a hostile takeover.Seto and Mokuba are determined to stop it, but they soon find they have bigger problems. This time they may be in over their heads. Forced landing, mysterious airport, kidnapping….
1. The Storm

Dangerous Horizons

Kaiba Corp is once again threatened. Seto and Mokuba set out on their own to resolve the problem but find that they may be in over their heads. Forced landing, deserted airport….

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Gi Oh

Chapter 1. The Storm

Mokuba sat listening to the hypnotic hum of the prop plane's single engine. Normally he enjoyed being navigator, but not at night, not in this thing. His mind began to wander. _Why us. Why do things like this keep happening to us?_ Those thoughts had been repeating through his head for the entire flight. He silently reprimanded himself. _Seto's right. There's no point in wishing for things to be different._

Mokuba remembered his navigator duties and refocused his gaze to the plane's instrument panel. He watched the VOR needle steadily hold its point in the center of the dial before sharply clicking to the left. The inset dial to the right of the needle switched from reading TO to FROM. He smiled faintly as he remembered Seto teaching him how the instrument worked. "_Now this one… Mokuba. Are you paying attention? You can't be a navigator if you don't know this." Mokuba giggled at his brother's paternalistic expression. "Yes, Niisama." Seto's eyes softened as he shook his head at his little brother. "This one verifies the planes location by picking up radio signals from specific stations."_ Mokuba checked their map dutifully.

"Huh, that's funny. We must have caught a tailwind," he said looking at their position and airspeed. "We are making really good time to have reached that station by now." Seto surveyed the instrument panel.

"The needle isn't moving. Are you sure it reset?"

"Yes. I'm sure." Seto double-checked anyway. It was reset. He gently banked the plane to the right and then to the left before resuming their course. The needle was unresponsive – refusing to track the signal. Mokuba glanced over at his brother. Seto's face was expressionless save for the grim line of his mouth. Mokuba knew what he was thinking.

"The VOR is out."

The younger Kaiba felt the knot of fear forming in his stomach grow tighter. _No VOR, and we can't see landmarks at night to help keep us on course. We are practically flying blind._ "If we are not too lost the map says there should be…"

"We're not lost, Mokuba. We have the compass."

"…Umm. There should be a little airport with a control tower up head. There is probably someone there. Maybe they can help us out." Mokuba wanted directions. He wasn't going to take any chance of getting lost. In the distance, a portion of the night sky flashed brilliantly. A storm was fast approaching. _I sure hope it's just ahead_ thought Mokuba worriedly.

They sat in silence scanning the dark horizon for any sign of the airport. "There it is! I see it!" shouted Mokuba pointing to the flashing beacon to his right.

_What was this place called again?_ thought Mokuba as he looked down at his map. "Mesa Tower," he radioed. "This is Cherokee 7263 – Tango. Do you copy? Over." There was no response. Rain splattered against the windshield as the wind picked up. It was then that Mokuba really wished that they were in their Blue Eyes Jet – he would have felt safer. The plane they were in now seemed down right flimsy in comparison. He knew why they couldn't use the jet. It would have been too conspicuous. Seto had said that for this mission they needed as much discretion as possible. That's why they were in the small, in Mokuba's opinion, death trap. What Mokuba didn't understand is why they needed to keep a low profile.

A few days ago, Seto had told him that someone was trying to takeover Kaiba Corp. He didn't reveal any identities, but Seto said he had a pretty good idea who was behind the plot. His big brother was being unusually tightlipped about the remaining details. The whole thing seemed odd to Mokuba. They had gone through takeovers before with Pegasus and Dartz and still came out on top. What confused Mokuba was the way that they were handling this particular situation. Before, he and Seto faced their enemies head-on. This time, however, Mokuba felt they were almost running away. He shook his head to remove that thought; he wasn't going to believe for a second that they were running away. Mokuba decided that Seto must have an elaborate plan and this was part of it. He would have liked to know what was going on, but he trusted completely that Seto's secret plan would work.

Mokuba tried again to radio, but it was to no avail. "I guess there's no one in the control tower." He looked at his brother hoping that he knew what to do next.

Seto felt the airplane become more difficult to control with the extra turbulence, and he didn't like the proximity of the lightning.

"It doesn't matter if anyone is there or not," he stated grimly. "We are going to have to land and continue tomorrow morning." As much as he wanted to continue, as much as he knew they had to continue, neither he nor Mokuba were familiar enough with the area for such an endeavor to be safe to say nothing of the storm that was beginning to rage around them. Seto took over the radio.

"Mesa Tower, this is Cherokee 7263 – Tango entering downwind for landing, over," he announced just in case there were any other pilots foolish to be out in the storm.

Seto pulled back on the yoke as the runway began to level out beneath them, but it was not enough. The plane still touched down with a hard thud. He reached for the break. It certainly wasn't his best landing, but under the circumstances, he didn't much care. They taxied in the direction of the control tower and spied an empty hangar. The small airport appeared deserted. Working quickly, the brothers secured the plane in the hangar and ran over to the control tower to escape from the storm. Seto silently prayed that the door would be unlocked. He felt a rush of relief as the handle gave way with a reassuring click. They stepped inside the darkened room. It smelled faintly musty. Seto ran his hand along the wall and flipped the light switch.

The fluorescent lights grudgingly flickered on to illuminate the room. Not that there was too much to see anyway. It wasn't very large and its description could be summed up in one word. Decrepit. To one side there was an old couch and a couple mismatched armchairs. The coffee table was littered with outdated magazines. Hanging from the ceiling were some dusty model planes. The opposite wall was practically covered by a battered topographical map, and in one corner there stood a poorly stocked vending machine.

"Looks like we'll be staying here tonight."

"At least it's better than trying to sleep in the plane, Niisama." Mokuba tried to sound optimistic.

"Hn," was all the response he got for his efforts. Seto was busy trying to find a signal for his cell phone.

Ignoring his big brother's indifference, Mokuba took to wandering around the room. He spotted a radio by the coffee table and was about to turn it on when he saw that the cord had been haphazardly wrapped in electrical tape. _Probably not a good idea_. He didn't want to catch the place on fire. Next, he trotted over to the vending machine.

"Uuuggghh. Looks like we'll be having stale corn chips for breakfast, Seto." His brother was too involved with his cell phone to respond. "Seto?" Mokuba began again turning toward his big brother. Then he stopped. He had caught a glimpse of a darkened hallway out of the corner of his eye.

Seto gave up on his cell phone. _We are out in the middle of nowhere. There probably isn't a cell phone tower for twenty miles. There's no way I'll get reception._ He decided to try his luck with the payphone. Seto had just picked up the phone when he heard his little brother scream.

Comments and suggestions always welcome!


	2. Of Pilots and Pirates

Thanks very much to those who reviewed!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Gi Oh

Chapter 2. Of Pilots and Pirates

_He decided to try his luck with the payphone when he heard his little brother scream._

Seto ran to the back of the room where Mokuba had been standing and saw the darkened hallway. "Mokuba!" He had just started down it to look for his brother when he saw a burly older man carrying the struggling Mokuba under his arm. This man had the large, barrel chested build that suggested he was a linebacker in his younger years, and he walked with a hint of a swagger. He was balding. Most of his greying hair had fallen out and that some of that hair seemed to have decided to reappear as stubbly patches on his chin and jaw. Seto couldn't make out much of his facial features in the dim light, but could tell they were toughened and worn like old leather from years of hard living.

"I believe he belongs to you," the man drawled at Seto. The young man glared icily at the older one. He wasn't about to let anyone mess with Mokuba and get away with it.

"Put my brother down," Seto responded dangerously. Not in the least bit intimidated, the man wheezed out a curt laugh and released his prisoner. Mokuba fled to the protection of his big brother's side.

"You'd think by the way you're actin' I was the one doin' the tresspassin'." The man eyed his uninvited guests. "What do you think you're doin' here?" The question was suspicious but wasn't exactly unfriendly. Seto crossed his arms and gave him a look as if to say answer was pretty obvious.

"We were caught in the storm and needed a place to land."

"I see." The man thoughtfully rubbed his chin. He looked slightly amused at the uptight young man in front of him.

"We tried to radio. You never answered," Mokuba piped up. The man turned towards the younger Kaiba. His dark eyes glinted eerily in the partial light. Mokbua stepped closer to Seto.

"Course not, kid. I was sleepin' – somthin' I intend to get back to doin'," he said gruffly. "It's near midnight, you know." He yawned and turned his back on the brothers. "I have some cots over there, considerin' you're now my _guests_," he motioned with his arm to a room on the left side of the hallway. "See you two in the mornin'." Mokuba looked uneasily as their host retreated back down the hallway before disappearing into the darkness. Seto followed Mokuba's gaze.

"He's just a harmless old coot, Mokuba. Let's get some sleep. We have to get an early start tomorrow." Mokuba felt rooted to the spot, half expecting the man to jump out at him again. "Mokuba?" The sound of his name brought him back out of his thoughts. He turned towards Seto.

"I'm coming Niisama," he replied softly and followed his brother into their room, not wanting to be left alone.

The next morning, Seto woke with a start and looked at his watch. Good. Six o'clock. It was still early. He should be able to fix whatever was wrong with the instrument panel fairly quickly and they could be on their way with most of the day still ahead of them. Seto nudged his little brother awake. "Come on, Mokuba. We need to get going." Mokuba groggily sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Wha hime izit?" he yawned.  
"Just after six." Mokuba gave his brother a look and sank back onto his pillow.

_Is he nuts? _He wasn't like his brother; he liked his sleep, and his desire for rest transcended any sense of urgency or worry he felt the previous night. Seto let him lie there for ten more minutes before he nudged him awake again. He wasn't trying to be cruel. If he had a choice he would let Mokuba sleep, but he wasn't about to leave his little brother alone in this strange place.

After Seto had finally succeeded in rousing the sleepy Mokuba , they entered the main room they visited the previous night. Their host was reading one of the magazines, waiting for them. Seto confronted him.

"Look, I'm going to need some tools."

"Ahh. You're awake. I thought I heard movement back there. I've got breakfast goin' in the kitchen," greeted the old pilot without looking up from his magazine. Seto wasn't in the mood to be delayed.

"Thanks for letting us stay here," he began again grudgingly, "but we don't have time. So if you could…" The man glanced up and interrupted Seto.

"Coffee should be about done. You like pancakes, kid?" Mokuba nodded slowly. He was a little surprised that the man didn't seem as scary to him in the daylight. Seto heaved an impatient sigh.

_At this rate, it is going to take all morning just to get those stupid tools _"I don't think you understand, old man. We need to be on our way. Now." Their host remained undeterred by Seto's rudeness. He stood up and looked Seto straight in the eye as if determined to shove some charity their way whether they liked it or not.

"After breakfast," he replied. The man moved to usher his unwilling and slightly more willing guest to the kitchen. Seto gave in. He had no other alternative as he had no tools of his own. In the kitchen, the man gave Mokuba a glass of powdered orange drink and sat a mug of thick black coffee in front of Seto. The young man looked at it disdainfully.

"Gotta name?" their host asked as he busied himself over the griddle. Seto glowered at him.

"Kaiba."

"That's it? You some kind of rock star? Just need one name?" Mokuba stared at him in amazement. Did this guy live under a rock? Normally people could infer who they were if not by sight at least by their last name.

"Kaiba." Mokuba tried again. "Of the Kaiba Corporation?" The man shook his head. Mokuba shrugged. "I'm Mokuba, and this is my brother Seto."

"Nice to meet you. The name's Sloan." He unceremoniously placed a large plate of pancakes on the table and took a few for himself before passing the plate around. Seto took a pancake but only picked at it with his fork.  
"Just Sloan?" He asked incredulously.

"Yup." Sloan's weathered face cracked into a grin. He was clearly enjoying Seto's indignation over his response. "You were sayin' somthin' about tools?" Seto shot him look. Of course he had said something about tools.

"There is something wrong with my instrument panel. I need to fix it so we can get out of this dump."

"Sorry, but you got more problems than that." Mokuba looked up from his breakfast and glanced from Sloan to his brother. Seto did not look happy.

"What do you mean?" demanded Seto.  
"I was checkin' over your plane this mornin'. You did some damage to your landin' strut last night. You're gonna need order some parts. No doubt about that. How long have you been flyin', son?" He had a small smirk on his face. Seto chose not to answer that question. His piloting skills were just fine.

"How long is that going to take?"

"Oh…two, three weeks," was the vague reply.

"You've got to be kidding!" Seto couldn't believe what he was hearing. The last thing they needed was a major delay. Sloan just put his hands up in a mock sign of surrender. Seto got up and walked to the telephone hanging on the wall.

Sloan chucked. "Won't do you much good. Storm knocked out the phone lines. No tellin' when they'll be fixed." Seto slammed the phone back onto the receiver and returned to the table. He was growing tired of this Sloan's sadistic sense of humor.

"What's the rush?" their host inquired.

"That is none of your concern. Our business is our own." Sloan looked indifferent to their predicament.

"Do you have another plane, a car, anything?" asked an exasperated Seto.

"Gotta truck."

"How much?"  
"How much what?" Sloan asked, toying with Seto.

"How much do you want for the damn truck?" he asked, eyes narrowing.

"It's not for sale."

_That's what you think. _"Name your price." Seto began reaching for his checkbook.

"That's quite an offer." Sloan waved his hand. "But the thing is, the truck doesn't run. Needs a new transmission. It won't be here for another coupla days. You're more than welcome to walk. 'Cept…it must be about thirty miles to town, and it's desert mosta the way. You are in Nevada you know." Seto was loosing what was left of his patience - fast.

"What idiot decided it would be a good idea to build an airport that far out of town?"

"Use ta be a lot busier here. There was another closer town. Pretty quiet now though since it died out. Don't get a lot of visitors." He took a big swig of coffee. Seto watched him and irritatedly drummed his fingers. He was running out of options.

"Then how, pray tell, are we going to get out of here."

"You're not. Not for a while anyway." Sloan got up from the table.

"What! You don't understand…"

"You're too young to be that hard a hearin', son." Sloan put a heavy hand on Seto's shoulder and continued in a low voice, "I said y'ain't goin' no where." He grinned wickedly. The Kaiba brothers stared at him. They were a little taken aback by his change in disposition. "Now where did I put those tools…" he mumbled on his way out of the room.

Sloan made good on finding the tools; however, fixing the VOR was taking Seto longer than he had expected. It was already the afternoon and the heat of the day was starting to make him drowsy. He looked over at his brother who had fallen asleep in one of the armchairs. An osculating fan was rhythmically ruffling his shaggy black hair. Since there was no real rush to fix the instrument as they had a damaged landing strut, Seto decided to follow Mokuba's lead and stretched out on the couch. Perhaps a quick nap would help him to concentrate. He closed his eyes, but as tired as he was, he couldn't sleep. A particular scene from the dinner following the last KC stockholders' meeting was playing in his mind.

"_Mr. Kaiba, I want a word with you." Seto cringed inwardly at the sound of the woman's voice. If it was who he thought it was, she was someone he really did not like._

"_Ahh. Mrs. Ohhira," he said turning to face her._

"_You've been avoiding me." Seto looked at her nonchalantly._

"_Have I now?" Madeline Ohhira's eyes narrowed at his audacity._

"_Yes you have. I don't appreciate it considering I flew all the way here from Silicon Valley," she said flipping her blond hair indignantly._

_The Valley isn't the only thing that is silicon, thought Seto tongue in cheek. "If you are referring to the business proposal you made earlier, I gave you my answer over the phone yesterday. It is no fault of mine you wasted your time."_

"_You knew my former husband well – may he rest in peace. I had only hoped that you would have taken my proposal more seriously." It was true. Seto had known Mr. Ohhira well. He was a good and loyal businessman. Mr. Ohhira was originally a KC stockholder when the company was controlled by Gozaburo and was producing war technology. When Seto made his takeover of Kaiba Corp, Mr. Ohhira was one of the few old stockholders who had decided to remain with the company. Seto had respected him for that. As for his widow Madeline, she had come into the picture as Mr. Ohhira's much younger second wife not long before Gozaburo lost his company. Seto never trusted her though his feelings were more instinctual than fact-based. _

"_It may come as a surprise to you, but I did give your proposal some serious consideration," Seto responded. Right before it went into the paper shredder. "However, it would not have taken my company in the direction I wish it to go. My answer is still no. The focus of Kaiba Corp will remain game technology."_

"_Listen up, Boy-Wonder," said Mrs. Ohhira getting tough. "After you, I am Kaiba Corp's largest_ _stockholder (1). That should provide me with greater say in what direction this company will go. I don't know what you take me for, but…."_

"_Honestly?" replied Seto cutting her off. "I see you as a former gold digger intent on getting richer by any means possible."_

_Madeline Ohhira's green eyes blazed. "Maybe I should buy more stock. Who knows, your company could easily become mine."_

_Seto laughed at her last statement. "No it couldn't. Nor will it become yours. I see that you have conveniently forgotten my brother's stock holdings. Now if you'll excuse me, there are some other people I need to talk to." He picked up a glass from the tray of a passing waiter before turning to leave. "Enjoy the party. The food is delicious." _

"_You underestimate me, Mr. Kaiba. I am no fool," she threatened after him._

_Seto didn't look back. "Neither am I, Mrs. Ohhria."_

"Underhanded banshee. If she thinks she can steal Kaiba Corp out from under me…." muttered Seto as he sat up and opened his eyes. He was beginning to get a headache. Looking over at his brother he saw that Mokuba was still peacefully asleep. _I have to get you out of here soon_. _I have to keep you safe. Don't worry Mokuba. I won't let her get you or our company._

(1) For Mr. Ohhira and his KC stockholdings go to Doma series (episode 148 The Creator Returns/Pegasus' Invitation) where Kaiba thinks that Pegasus is trying to buy out his company – the ratandfox episode guide.


	3. A Glimmer of Hope

Chapter 3. A Glimmer of Hope

A/N: Well, I have finally, finally updated. For those of you who have been following this story, I made a few small additions to Chapter 1 and 2. Just gloss back over where Mokuba is wishing they had their jet and where Seto is remembering his conversation with Madeline Ohhira.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Gi Oh

Seto watched his little brother sleep. He wasn't going to let Madeline Ohhira get anywhere near Mokuba or their company. They had been through so much in order to stay together and worked far to hard to make Kaiba Corp what it was presently.

The stockholders' meeting was a couple of months ago. Since then, Madeline had drastically stepped up her campaigning tactics for her proposal. She did not take Seto's refusal well. It had gotten to the point where she seemed overly determined, if not driven to make what she wanted into a reality.

"_Mr. Kaiba, war technology, especially at this point in time, would be very profitable. You would be a fool to not realize it."_

"_Yes it would be profitable Mrs. Ohhira, but that is not the point."_

"_I'm not asking you to make tanks, just some specific computer software. KC has more than enough capacity to support this venture. After all, such technology is this company's heritage."_

"_Precisely. Now if you do not have any further business, I am going to call this meeting to an end."_

The idea of producing war technology did not sit well with Seto as it reminded him too much of Gozaburo. He had worked very hard improving KC's image and had no intention of reverting his company back into what it once was. Moreover, it didn't fit into his and Mokuba's vision of developing games and building amusement parks. Profit or not, he wasn't going to accept the offending proposal, and his stubbornness infuriated Madeline.

In light of Madeline Ohhira's attitude, Seto decided that he and Mokuba should spend some time at their US office in California. One thing Gozaburo taught Seto was to always keep one's enemies close, and Seto felt the need to keep an eye on her. The past had made him wary of other's trying to gain influence in his company so Seto had Isona plant a spy in Madeline's own business. A few days later, Isona reported back with some rather grave news. Their informant had overheard urgent discussions of obtaining Mokuba-sama's stocks to gain control of the company. The conversations smacked of kidnapping, but there was no concrete evidence – certainly not enough to involve the police. Seto wasn't going to take such threats, even vague ones, lightly. Mokuba had been kidnapped one too many times, and he was determined not to let it happen again. If Madeline was going to kidnap Mokuba, she was going to have to find him first.

Seto made a general announcement thathe and his brother were returning to Domino and ordered their jet to be made ready. However, they were not on it as it took off. Seto took advantage of the crowd that gathered to watch the jet to sneak way to the airport where hepurchased a small, nondescript plane. He hoped this diversion would throw Madeline off their scent long enough to hide Mokuba. His plan was to take a roundabout flight to Professor Hopkins' secluded home and keep his brother there while he went out to gather more information on Madeline. The Hopkins had no idea they were coming, but Seto was willing to chance inconveniencing them in order to maintain the utmost secrecy. He would make sure the Hopkins were duly compensated.

No one would expect him to make such a move; it was out of character, and he hardly believed it himself. His justification was that he absolutely could not leave Mokuba alone,and at least he wasn't seeking assistance from Yuugi of all people. Seto had struggled greatly with the idea of leaving Mokuba somewhere even with someone, but he knew he would be placing his little brother in greater danger by keeping him by his side as he would be in close proximity to Madeline Ohhira. He also felt a little guilty keeping Mokuba in the dark. The only reason why Seto had not yet told his little brother of the kidnapping plot was because he didn't want to worry him unnecessarily.

Seto watched as Mokuba roused himself from his nap. He turned and blinked sleepily at his big brother. "Is the VOR fixed yet?"

"Not yet."

"I'll help you. What do you need?"

"I brought in all the manuals from the plane last night but left them in our room. Maybe also bring the map. We need to plan our next course of action."

"Sure Niisama. I'm on it!"

Seto's eye's followed Mokuba out of the room then turned his attention back to the instrument he had torn apart. For the life of him, he couldn't find anything wrong with it.

Mokuba was passing the kitchen on his way back into the main room when he heard muffled noises. He paused by the door. Was someone talking in there? It sounded like Sloan. The door was open just a crack so Mokuba peaked in. Standing on the opposite side of the room was Sloan talking on the _telephone_. "I thought the lines were still down," Mokuba commented softly to himself. He quickly ducked away as Sloan turned to face the kitchen door, but he didn't leave. _I wonder what he's talking about. _Mokuba knew he shouldn't eves drop. It certainly wasn't polite, and there really might not be any good information anyway. Sloan was probably just a harmless coot like Seto said, but…. something about this situation seemed suspicious. Mokuba crept back closer to the door and strained his ears. Sloan's half of the dialog was difficult to make out so he only got bits and pieces of what he said.

"Yeah….Just about right…………..little one….easy……..humph no………..picky and proud as all hell……hardly eats anything……..can't….too much….too obvious…."

"Mokuba? What's taking so long?"

Mokuba clamped his hands over his mouth as he involuntarily gasped. He was concentrating so hard on Sloan that he didn't hear his brother walk up to him. "Niisama," Mokuba whispered as he put an index finger to his lips and placed his ear back towards the door. Seto gave his brother a questioning look. Then he heard Sloan's voice. His eyes narrowed. If Sloan was trying to pull something funny on them, he was going to catch the sneak in the act. Seto pushed the door open and stepped into the kitchen.

"Be here tomorra then…" Sloan gave a suprised look at Seto's abrupt appearance. "Uh huh…right then, okay…bye." Seto raised an acusatory eyebrow.

"I thought the phone lines were down," was his scathing remark. "Were you planning on sharing this bit of information?" Sloan bristled slightly.

"I'd watch your tone if I were you, son. You might regret your words."

"Is that a threat?" There was a tense pause as the two stared each other down. Mokuba looked anxiously from his brother to the older man and back again. After a few long seconds, Sloan bared a toothy grin and chuckled.

"You're wound so tight you're spring's gonna snap. The lines came back up only a half-hour ago. Turns out I did you a mighty big favor." Seto gave him a doubtful look and was about to say something when Sloan continued. "Yup, called around for those parts you need while you two _very busy_ people were sleepin' away. They'll be here sometime tomorra."

"How?" asked Seto dubiously. "I thought you said two to three weeks." The whole situation seemed too good to be true, too convenient. There had to be a catch. Sloan polished his grubby fingernails authoritatively on his dirty t-shirt.

"Pulled some strings. Just goes to show it's who know that matters. Besides, truth is I wanna get rid of ya. I'm not one for playin' house." Sloan cackled and gave Seto a hard slap on the back as he walked to the door. "Lemonade's in the fridge if you want it."

"And you are sure we will have what we need by tomorrow." Sloan turned slightly as stepped into the hall. He face was completely serious.

"Absolutely," he said then walked way.

After Sloan left, Mokuba moved to the refrigerator and retrieved the pitcher of lemonade. Seto located two glasses. It was hot out, so the idea of lemonade promised to be refreshing. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Mokuba wrinkled his nose at the first sip. "Eeeww! It's bitter."

"You mean sour," corrected Seto. Mokuba shook his head vigorously. Seto sniffed the contents of his glass and took a sip. It was definitely bitter. "Somehow he has managed to mess up lemonade from a mix. Apparently Sloan has no cooking skills whatsoever." Mokuba shrugged.

"The pancakes were fine." He had spotted the canister of powdered mix on the counter and was in the process of improving his lemonade. Mokuba completed his stirring and took a second, tentative sip. He smiled. "Much better! Do you want me to fix yours Niisama?" Seto ruffled his little brother's hair affectionately before he moved to the sink.

"No thanks." He dumped out his lemonade. "I think I'll just stick with water."

Seto cast his gaze to the now open door and then back at Mokuba. "So…what exactly did you overhear Sloan say?" Though the story of the parts was the first straight answer Sloan had given them since they met, Seto wasn't sure if he was going to buy it. He didn't completely trust him.

A look of consternation washed over Mokuba's face as recalled the bits of conversation he picked up.

"I don't really know. It was hard to hear, but I'm pretty sure he was talking about us."

"About us? Try to remember, Mokuba." He was watching his little brother intently.

"I think he was complaining to someone about us – like you won't eat anything. I don't remember any exact words. It seemed weird at the time, but now I guess it's just kinda silly," Mokuba ended lamely. Seto's expression relaxed a little bit.

"He must have tried to use the pity card in order to get those parts." Mokuba smiled weakly. "Don't worry about it too much. We'll keep a close watch on him." Seto paused. "Who knows, Sloan might actually live up to his word. We will see what, if anything, shows up tomorrow."

Thank you very much for your comments!

Mariko and evil meg: I finally includedwhat their mission is: )

evil meg, I hope that I have been able to clear up some of your questions with this chapter.

TakagiNaoSama and Garowyn: Oh good! I was hoping Sloan would come across creepy and untrustworthy. I don't want to say too much about him just yet though……

Please review! I like to know how I am doing and if there are things I need to work on.


	4. The Plane

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Gi Oh

Chapter 4. The Plane

"Now that the phone is working again, are you going to call Isona?" inquired Mokuba. He glanced up hopefully at his brother. As far as he was concerned, the sooner they got this part of their mission – whatever it was - over the better. He really just wanted to be back home. Seto thought for a moment.

"No," he replied with conviction. "No, not yet." Mokuba couldn't believe what he was hearing. Why the change of heart? This morning, his brother was very intent on using the telephone, and just now, the scene in the kitchen…. Seto noticed his little brother's confused expression. "I'll explain later," he added offhandedly. Mokuba put his foot down.

"Niisama! Why aren't you telling me what is going on?" He wasn't really angry just frustrated and a little scared. All the secrecy surrounding their activities was beginning to drive him nuts, and he wasn't sure how much more of it he could take. He set his face into a firm expression.

"Mokuba, do you trust me?"

"Yes, of course I do." Mokuba's defiance began to falter. He adored his big brother. The last thing he wanted was for Seto to think he didn't trust him.

"Look, I've kept things a secret to protect you." He studied his little brother. "You are old enough to handle it. I should have told you everything, but I can't now. I can't have anyone overhearing anything – just incase."

"You mean Sloan." Seto nodded. "But then why don't you call and get us out of here?"

"If I call Isona now to come pick us up, our cover will be blown. That isn't a risk I am willing to take."

"But…"

"Sloan is a backwater weirdo. He's nothing more than that, Mokuba. If he is, we can handle him." Mokuba still wasn't convinced. "We'll be safe here for a little while longer," Seto continued. "The parts we need should be here soon, the plane will be fixed before anyone thinks to looks for us, and we will still be close to on schedule."

By nature, Seto was not a very trusting person. He did want to use the phone to call for parts himself except that in doing so he would reveal his position. As much as he disliked Sloan, he did do them a favor in that respect. He had to admit his reasoning not to call sounded a little paranoid, but why chance it when he was so close to getting Mokuba to safety. Seto figured they were relatively safe at the airport even if the parts didn't arrive on time. It was, after all, in the middle of nowhere. No one knew where they were. Therefore, Madeline would have a hard time tracking them down.

"Okay, Niisama."

"Mokuba, take this." Seto reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a sealed envelope. Mokuba took the envelope and looked at it curiously. He started to run his thumb under one of the corners to lift the sealed flap. Seto stopped him.

"Keep it safe, and don't open it unless something happens."

Mokuba sighed. _Another secret. _"Something like what?" He asked the question though this time he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know what that answer might be.

"Just keep it safe. You'll know if you need to open it. Until then, don't worry about it." Seto put his hand on Mokuba's shoulder and led him out of the kitchen. "Let's see if we can fix that stupid VOR."

The brothers took their glasses into the main room and continued to work on fixing the broken flight instrument. The room was empty. "Looks like Sloan's disappeared again," noted Mokuba with a hint of relief.

"Good riddance," muttered Seto.

Their temperamental host didn't reappear until around six-thirty when he came into the main room carrying a plate of spaghetti. Earlier that day, Sloan had wheeled out an old television from his bedroom so Mokuba might have something to do. The channels came out poorly. Mokuba would have left the television alone even if he hadn't been napping. Sloan turned to a practically snow filled channel and proceeded to watch the 'news' as he ate dinner. "There's more in the kitchen," he grunted. "I made a lot since you didn't eat lunch."

It was then that Seto and Mokuba realized how hungry they were. Seto wasn't really looking forward to the dinner considering how well Sloan's coffee and lemonade turned out, but he knew his body would retaliate if he didn't eat something. They went to the kitchen and decided to have their evening meal in there. Sloan wasn't exactly the best of company. The food was edible. They certainly ate their share though Seto thought the sauce tasted a little off. Mokuba agreed and suggested the jar might have been kind of old. _No surprise there._ thought Seto dryly.

After dinner, they returned to their makeshift workstation where Seto reassembled the last few remaining pieces. He never did find out what was wrong with instrument and hoped all it needed was a good cleaning. As he worked he noticed that Mokuba was starting to slowly drift off. His eyes would close and head nod forward then he would sit up abruptly and try to shake away the drowsy feeling. "Are you okay?" Seto finally asked. Mokuba nodded.

"Huh? Yeah. Just tired. I think I'm going to go to bed, Niisama." Seto looked at his watch.

"It's barely eight o'clock." Mokuba gave a half-hearted shrug. "Alright then. See you in the morning. Don't forget to brush your teeth."

"I won't. Good night," yawned Mokuba.

Seto completed the VOR and replaced the repaired instrument in the airplane. It didn't take long for him to finish, perhaps an hour. Sloan was still watching TV when Seto returned. Neither acknowledged the other's presence. Seto decided he would rather lie awake in bed then spend time with Sloan. He was sure the feeling was mutual so he didn't think he was being rude. _Not like I'd really care anyway_, he thought.

Back in their room, Seto looked over at his sleeping brother. Mokuba hadn't even bothered to change into his pajamas before crawling into bed. _He must have really been exhausted._ Seto pulled the blankets up closer around his little brother's shoulders.

He was beginning to feel a little concerned. Sure Mokuba liked to sleep in, but he rarely took naps and never wanted to go to bed early. _Perhaps it's due to the stress of our situation,_ he reasoned. Seto was certainly feeling the stress himself, and had to admit that he too was feeling worn out. He must have been more tired than he realized for no sooner than he put his head on his pillow did he fall asleep.

The next morning, Seto was awakened by a throbbing headache. Stiffly rolling over, he reached over the side of his cot and picked up his watch that was lying on the ground. He looked atit then quickly did a double take. "Ten o'clock!" he said in amazement. He would have shouted that statement if he didn't think Mokuba would probably still be asleep. Seto sat up and massaged his pounding head. Seven was the latest he would ever sleep. What was going on? He looked over to Mokuba's cot only to find it….

"Empty," he whispered. The cot was rumpled and unmade. His pillow had been knocked carelessly to the floor. _Looks like he got up in a hurry. _Seto got dressed and tried to swallow the feeling of panic rising in his throat. It was probably nothing. Mokuba may have just let him sleep thinking that he needed it and didn't make his bed because he didn't want to wake him up. The story sounded good, but he was having a hard time convincing himself it was true.

Seto moved to the door only to find it was much harder to do than he had anticipated. It wasn't just his head; his whole body ached. Was he coming down with the flu? He laboriously made his way into the main room. There was still no sign of Mokuba. There was no sign of Sloan either. _This is strange. It's not like Mokuba to hide, and it is not like me to sleep in like this on my own. I only did that once before when I took some….sleeping pills._

"He drugged us!" Seto nearly fell over at the realization. He grabbed at a chair for support.

_But how? The food. The bitter lemonade. Why did I not see it! Mokuba ate more that I did, he drank the lemonade, that is why he was napping, going to be early, my headache, my body aches must be withdrawal symptoms from the drugged spaghetti…_ Seto's mind was spinning. He silently cursed himself for being oblivious to what was going on. _Where is Mokuba?_ he thought frantically. _This is all my fault!_

The sound of an engine starting distracted him momentarily. _Wait a minute… An engine! It's an airplane. Someone else must have landed here. They might be our one ticket out! _Now he had to find Mokuba. Seto hoped he wasn't too late. Where could he be? "Mokuba!" His shout greatly aggravated his headache to the point where Seto thought his head would split open, but he didn't care. He needed to find his little brother and find him quickly.

Seto stumbled to the exit door and stepped out. He saw two figures: a man and a woman. It looked like they had just finished fueling the plane and were getting ready to leave. Seto waved his arms as best he could and tried to shout over the roar of the engine. He couldn't let them leave, not until he found Mokuba. It wasn't safe here. They had to get away from that madman Sloan if he was going to save his brother.

Seto knew he needed to get closer. He used all his might to command his limbs to move faster. The woman climbed into the plan and the man was preparing to hand her a large, blanket wrapped bundle. Seto squinted to see better. It looked like a sleeping figure; a little boy with dark hair.

Suddenly, Seto felt sick. His eyes widened with comprehension that that figure wasn't just any little boy it had to be Mokuba. "NO!" he yelled in desperation. The couple heard him this time and turned. But that one shout was all he was able to get out. A heavy object connected with the back of Seto's head, and he collapsed to the ground unconscious. His last thoughts were that he failed; he lost his little brother.

Thank you evil meg and Garowyn for your review! I'm glad you like it.


	5. Pleasant Dreams

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Gi Oh

Chapter 5. Pleasant Dreams

"No!" he shouted, but it was too late. He had failed; he had lost his little brother.

Mokuba. His little brother's name was the first thing to cross Seto's mind as he slowly began to regain consciousness. Seto struggled to open his eyes. Everything seemed a bit fuzzy. Though he couldn't tell exactly where he was, he knew he was still at the airport in a dimly light room. Seto also realized he was, strangely enough, sitting upright. It was at that point his body began to register the sharp pain coming from the back of his head. Seto groaned softly. He didn't feel much like moving just yet to investigate how he got to be where he was. Seto closed his eyes again and gently bowed his head hoping to help alleviate the pain and to make sense of recent events. Through his rather disjointed memories, he saw Mokuba being taken away from him. Seto recalled there had been a couple, a man and a woman; they were the ones who had his little brother. The woman seemed familiar. He was fairly certain she had blond hair. Seto tried desperately to remember any details that would lead him to her identity. There was the possibility that the couple could be friend or foe. Perhaps, but not likely, they could have been trying to help him and Mokuba. Or maybe they………A slight movement, a quiet rustle of clothes, however, disrupted his train of thought. Seto felt his skin prickle and his breathing quicken slightly.

He was not alone.

"Hey there, Sleepy," said a voice cutting abruptly through the heavy silence. "How nice of you to join us." While the voice attempted to sound friendly, there was an unmistakable undertone of malice. Seto's eyes shot open, and he found himself looking directly into a pair of green ones.

_Madeline. _Things suddenly began to make sense to Seto. _So this is what Sloan was really referring to when he said everything would 'be here tomorrow.' _"You!" he accused in barely controlled rage. "What have you done with Mokuba? Where is my little brother?" Seto attempted to stand as he confronted her but realized all too late he had been restrained and nearly upset the chair he was tied to in the process.

Madeline Ohhira watched her struggling captive gloatingly. After a moment, she allowed herself a triumphant sneer. "All in good time, " was her casual reply. Seto ceased fighting against his bonds to stare at her. Struggling was a futile exercise anyway. He needed a different tactic. What he needed was information. Seto, in his fury and slightly disoriented state, shot out the first question that came to mind.

"How did you find us?" He had been so careful in his planning. Seto couldn't figure out how she tracked them down so quickly. Madeline gave an infuriatingly innocent shrug. "Tell me!" His words came out slowly and forcefully.

"How quickly you lose your temper," she admonished as she pulled up another chair and primly sat down in front of Seto. "Now, do you honestly think I'm going to give you an answer to that?" He didn't think she would and mentally chided himself for asking such an obvious question. Seto realized he had to get his emotions under control. He couldn't allow his anger and frustration to get in the way of obtaining information from his captor; he was not going to allow Madeline to outsmart him. Rather than answer her question Seto just glared. "With all your dueling experience you should know better. You always want to keep your opponent guessing," Madeline added. "Hmmm. But maybe you are not as bright as people say. I certainly have had my doubts. I would think by now you would have stopped taking me for a simpleton." Seto rolled his eyes and looked disinterested. Madeline, though a little perturbed, pretended not to notice and continued on seamlessly.

"What I will tell you is this: I'm a little disappointed in you Seto Kaiba. This has been far too easy. I thought that, and hoped that, you would have put up more of a fight. I must admit though, you finding out my plan to take Mokuba away was a little bit of a challenge, but just a little one. Yes. A simple game of cat and mouse," she said breezily, as if recounting a trip to the grocery store. "But it all worked out for the best. You see, it turns out your actions have all played into my hand."

Seto had grown bored of Madeline's weak insults and monologue. He was beginning to think she wasn't going to tell him anything of interest. However, her last statement caught his attention. _What does she mean my actions played into her hand? _"By all means, do tell. I can't wait to be enlightened with your brilliance," he sarcastically retorted hoping to hide his real interest. Madeline smiled. She had been greatly anticipating this moment.

"Destroying your character," she said with a smile. "I can turn this whole chase around to look like the result of the erratic, dangerous behavior of a self-absorbed young man. That is hardly the sort of environment for a little boy to be raised. I can use this situation to help prove you simply are not fit to take care of Mokuba properly. It won't be too hard when I think of how many times his life has been placed in jeopardy due to your own interests." Seeing the look of smug disbelief cross her captive's face Madeline went on. "Oh yes, Seto Kaiba, I have quite a lot of dirt on you."

"Ha! Anything you think you know is a lie or has been taken out of context." He didn't believe her statement was true; he was more than able to take care of Mokuba. Moreover, Seto wasn't even going to pretend to believe that she had hard evidence to support her claim.

"Really?" She cocked her head to one side. "Really? Are you sure you want to make that argument?"

"Yes really! Now get to the point," Seto growled. He was getting irritated. "The longer you keep me here the more I'm going to sue you for when I get Mokuba back."

"Ah, court. Yes. We'll see about that." Madeline paused briefly as if relishing in some secret information. "Anyway, I won't name names, but I seem to recall a story about a particular young CEO who became so distraught over losing ….a _game_," she waved her hand to emphasize the triviality of such a notion, "that he abandoned his little brother. Poor thing was left alone and vulnerable. It comes at no surprise that he was kidnapped as a result of his older brother's incompetence and heartlessness. The CEO is rather famous. Maybe you know whom I'm talking about." Seto's heart ached at the memory of Duelist Kingdom. He wasn't very proud about that time in his life.

_How did she know?_ "Yes, he was kidnapped, and apparently it wasn't the last time either. Perhaps you would like to explain to the authorities your own kidnapping schemes." He knew he had her there, and yet she remained unfazed.

"Oh, Honey," she began in a maternal fashion. "What I was involved in wasn't a kidnapping. It was an intervention. We had to remove dear little Mokuba from a very precarious situation – from his rather dangerous guardian." Seto threw a menacing look at her. She made a pouty-face back at him then laughed. Madeline was encouraged by the thought that she caught a glimpse of uncertainty flicker briefly in Seto's eyes. "Does the Death T Challenge or your treatment of Mokuba during your KC takeover ring any bells? Try convincing social services or better yet a jury, as you are so keen on going to court, that those events were taken out of context. Perhaps someone else would be able to charm their way into the authorities hearts and persuade them otherwise - though not you. You are not very personable. The only one who probably thinks you are likeable is Mokuba, but that can easily be written off as type of Stockholm Syndrome."

Seto was beginning to see that there was a real chance that he could lose Mokuba. He wasn't going to let that happen. They had been through so much, already gone through those issues that Madeline had brought up. Despite the fact she was dangerously armed with information, Seto wasn't going to let her twist things around. "Stockholm Syndrome. Identifying with his captor," he scoffed. " Hardly."

Madeline gave a sardonic grin. "Are you sure? Picture it this way then, young, impressionable Mokuba blindly following your whims, no matter how absurd and unreasonable, out of _love_ for you because he _knows_ you wouldn't do anything to hurt him. Or maybe so you won't hurt him."

"This is ridiculous. I'm his brother, not his captor."

_Mokuba, do you trust me?_

_Of course I do._

Seto tried to ignore those words that were forcing their way out of his memories.

_I've kept things secret to protect you._

"I won't let anyone or anything harm him."

_We'll be safe here a little while longer. _

"That may be what you say, but your actions demonstrate otherwise. Here is another example of you putting not only him in danger but others if you still don't believe me. The Battle City Finals - you lost out, remember? Now what did you do in response….oh, yes. While people were still in the duel tower, you set off a timer for some explosives that would blow that island sky high. Was that the action of someone who is safe and responsible or even stable for that matter? I think not. Like I said, you are an unfit guardian. Unfit," Madeline repeated. She liked the way the word rolled off her tongue; she liked the way it affected her captive. " Good thing I happened to be in the neighborhood to rescue the boy. From now on, there will be _Aunty_ Madeline who will look after Mokuba."

"Aunty Madeline?" spat out Seto. "Of all the idiotic…You can't be serious."

"Oh I'm very serious. I want custody of Mokuba – to make sure he is cared for properly." Seto saw immediately through her thin veneer of benevolence.

"You…" Seto couldn't think of a strong enough name to call her. "You will never gain custody of my brother. I know all you want are his stocks and our company."

"Stocks? Well if they come with the package..." stated Madeline sweetly. Seto saw red at the thought of how Madeline was planning to use Mokuba, but she cut him off before he could say anything by directing the conversation back to where she left off. "By the way, how many times, after putting Mokuba in danger were you able to save him on your own? Seems to me Yugi Mutou does most of that work."

Seto took a deep breath knowing that she was trying to bait him into doing something stupid. "Enough with the mind-games. They won't work on me," he said angrily.

"Now, now. There is no cause for you to be upset with me. I'm not playing any mind-games. You brought this down on yourself. Honestly, you can't make up stories like that!" She laughed then went completely serious. "You are a danger to Mokuba, and you know it, don't you. So you see, all I'm going to do is bring this situation to light and reveal you for what you really are." Seto again tried to fight against his restraints. He wanted to lunge at her.

_I can't deny those events…but…It's not true! I'm not a danger to Mokuba. I would do anything for him! He knows that. I'm not a danger….am I? No, no. Not all of it was my fault. Not all of it directly. No.. I can't be. I can't. I can't lose him! _Seto was trying determinately not to let her words affect him.

"I shouldn't be telling you all this, but I do so enjoy watching you squirm. Just like a worm on a hook, you are. However, we can't let you hurt yourself can we? It wouldn't look very good on my part, not to mention it is about time I made my exit." Madeline looked up at someone in the room. "Hold him," she ordered firmly. A pair of strong arms immediately wrapped around Seto's head and body, preventing him from moving at all. "Besides, if any of this does come out later, it will just be your word, a delinquent's against mine, that of an upstanding citizen." Madeline pulled out and prepared a hypodermic syringe. His eyes grew wide as she inserted the needle into his neck. Seto could hear the blood pounding in his ears.

"What was that!"

"Nothing much. A simple…sleeping agent; just something to calm you down."

_Sleeping agents – Sloan! He is all I need to connect Madeline Ohhira with this plot._ "You've certainly covered your bases, haven't you?" Madeline knew what he was thinking.

"You can stop looking for ways that I've slipped up, because I haven't. Do you really think I would be so foolish to leave any loose ends, such as that hermit, Sloan?"

_Wait a minute. No loose ends. She wouldn't have gone so far as to have….or would she? _The drug was fast acting as it was injected directly into his blood stream. Seto was already having trouble thinking straight, and his vision was starting to become out of focus. Regardless, he could tell she was laughing silently at him. _NO! Not happening….this can't…Mokuba…. _Seto gritted his teeth, trying to regain his composure.

"As far as everyone else is concerned, she continued, "Sloan never existed. I'm something of a magician. It's amazing how just a little bit of money can be used to make people disappear. Your company, fortune, and little brother will all be apart of my next vanishing act. Lucky you. You get a front row seat for the show. They will all become mine soon. I will easily be given custody of Mokuba. Your company and everything else will then soon follow suit. It's really too bad it has come to this." She patted his cheek as if he was a child. "You really would have been an asset to my project, but you had your chance."

Seto's breathing was becoming more labored. "You..won't..get…..away..with..this."

Madeline Ohhira laughed softly at the defiant young man.

"Sorry, Honey, but I already have. Face it. This 'former gold digger,' as you so eloquently stated, has beaten the great Seto Kaiba." She leaned in close. Her lips gently grazed his ear as she whispered, "And there is nothing you can do about it." Seto shuddered involuntarily and glared at her. "Pleasant dreams," she said as she straightened up. Madeline gave him a taunting smile before leaving. She knew full well that despite his proud appearance she had turned the young man into an emotionally broken mess. The time was now right to finish what she started.

"Madeline!" he shouted wildly, but the door simply shut after her. She did not return. _Have to stay awake…have to stay...awake. _He repeated to himself over and over.

Several hours later, Mokuba awoke in an unfamiliar bedroom, alone, uncertain, and a little afraid.

Thank you reviewers! What a terrific response! I would normally write indiviual responses, but Ihave heard from a couple different sources that we are not supposed to do that anymore. So until I know more on that subject - Thank you again to everyone who responded! I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far. : )


	6. Snakes in the Grass

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Gi Oh

Chapter 6. Snakes in the Grass

_Mokuba awoke several hours later to find himself alone in an unfamiliar room._

Mokuba woke with a slight start and cautiously surveyed his new surroundings. It was utterly apparent he was no longer at that strange airport. Gone were the cots and ragged carpet. The bedroom to which he had been relocated was, in sharp contrast, nothing short of opulent. Judging by the damask duvet draped on his four-poster bed, stately armoire that took up a large part of one wall, and elegant chaise lounge strategically placed under the window, the room was obviously intended for an adult. Then there were other items in the room that seemed very much out of place: a hand held game player, stacks of cd's, trading cards – possibly Duel Monsters cards though Mokuba couldn't tell from his vantage point – as well as various other things a pre-teen boy might like all added as if they had been a rushed afterthought. This abrupt and dramatic change of location was confusing. Mokuba felt a bit like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz especially since he wasn't sure how he got to be in his new room. Trying to figure out what had happened, however, was going to have to be postponed until later. His stomach was a little queasy, and he felt very tired. Snuggling down deeper between the soft sheets and closing his eyes Mokuba comforted himself with the thought that his big brother would come before long and explain things to him.

Elsewhere in the mansion, Madeline Ohhira was in her office having a heated discussion with someone over the telephone.

"_I still think that you revealed too much_." The man's voice was skeptical.

"Nonsense," Madeline spat out defiantly. "I know what I'm doing."

"_I'm just saying you don't know the Kaiba brothers the way I do."_

"And I'm saying you seem to have forgotten your place. Who hired whom exactly? Don't make me regret my decision." She paused and took a breath. They were at a crucial juncture in their plans. Right now was anything but an opportune time for them to start arguing and distrusting each other. "Where are you?" she asked in a much calmer tone. "You left here about…"

"_Yes. I'm almost there."_

"Good. Things are proceeding well."

"_Hmm." _The man at the other end of the line did not seem to share her optimism. _"I should go. I'm getting another call."_

"It can wait. Now listen to me. There is nothing to worry about, " Madeline stated reassuringly. "I promise you. Kaiba is no longer in any condition to be much of a threat…." A knock at the door interrupted her train of thought. "I have to go. We'll talk later," she added brusquely and hung up. Madeline cleared her throat as she put away her cell phone.

"Yes. Come in," she said pleasantly. An elderly gentleman in a white coat entered the room.

"Mrs. Ohhira?" he asked. His question was polite but was one that implied he had something important to discuss regardless of whether or not he was interrupting anything.

"Oh, Dr. Hutchinson!" Madeline exclaimed as she stepped quickly to meet him. She was wringing her hands. "I'm glad you are back already. I've been very anxious. How is our little patient doing?"

"Much better. Yes, much better." Hutchinson sighed as he readjusted the stethoscope hanging from his neck. "What a terrible thing. No one his age should have been exposed to that much sleeping agent of any kind." Madeline feigned shock.

"Oh my!" The doctor nodded solemnly.

"While I don't know much about the Kaibas, I just can't imagine what could have triggered his older brother to snap like that. To drug his…" Doctor Hutchinson shook his head to remove the thought. "Well, anyway, the little one is very lucky you found him when you did. You are a courageous woman to become involved."

"I do so hate to see anyone in harm's way." Madeline placed her hand to her heart. "What kind of monster would I be to ignore the poor boy's plight?" Inwardly, she was gagging on her words. Outwardly, however, her performance was carried off flawlessly. Dr. Hutchinson smiled gently.

"Normally, in a situation such as this, I believe a child would be removed to foster care. But considering the high profile nature and complexity of this particular case, not to mention all the upheaval the boy has gone through, I will support your wish and make the recommendation that he stay with you. I have known you for many years and had known your former husband for great many more. There is not a doubt in my mind that you will take good care of him."

"Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me," she stated in a most humble and grateful fashion.

"Speaking of our patient," the doctor added in a more upbeat fashion, "he was regaining consciousness when I left. Would you like see him?"

"Yes, very much," replied Madeline. She took Dr. Hutchinson's arm, and together they walked down the long hallway.

Mokuba sat up in bed when he heard the door to his room open. In walked an older man who could be nothing other than a doctor followed by a younger woman with blonde hair – perhaps his assistant?

"Glad to see you are up, young man," greeted the doctor cheerfully. "That is a very good sign. A very good sign indeed." He pulled out a pen and notepad from his white coat. "Alright. Let's see here…I need you to do something for me. I want to see if you can tell me your name."

"Kaiba. Mokuba, sir." He looked at his guests curiously. The whole situation seemed strange to him. Who were these people, why were they here, and where was Seto?

"Mokuba," repeated the doctor. "Excellent." He began scribbling in the notepad. "Now I don't suppose you remember this lady here." The blonde woman wore an expression that was nothing short of maternal affection as she sat down at the foot of the bed. Mokuba looked wary and uncertain. He didn't say anything. She seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on her identity. "This is Madeline Ohhira. I'm Dr. Albert Hutchinson. And you, Mokuba, were rather ill. No need for concern, though. You are well on your way to recovery." The doctor smiled kindly as he checked Mokuba's pulse. The boy hardly noticed what was happening; he was busy studying that Ohhira lady.

Hutchinson spoke again. "I'm sure you are feeling a little confused, maybe a little scared." Mokuba turned his gazed back to the doctor who took the opportunity to check the dilation of his pupils. "Don't worry. Okay, now the other one. You are in good hands. You are safe now."

_Safe, _thought Mokuba. _Safe. Was coming here part of their mission?_ "But where is Se.."

"Shhh, now," said Madeline Ohhira softly. She leaned forward and brushed his hair out of his face. "Everything is alright."

"I think we need to let our patient rest some more." Dr. Hutchinson jotted down some final notes. "I don't want you getting overly excited young man," he said to Mokuba. Madeline rose off the bed and walked to the door. She blew her charge a little kiss as she departed. "I'll be back tomorrow to check on you," Hutchinson continued. Mokuba nodded slightly in confirmation.

The door shut and he was once again left alone in the big, unfamiliar room. "Tomorrow," Mokuba murmured. The word stuck in his head. Something was supposed to happen on a 'tomorrow,' but when was that supposed to be? He had no idea what time it was, what day it was, and not even the slightest inclination of where he was. Everything, all his memories were foggy.

----------

Seto opened his eyes to see the old model airplanes of the main room gently swaying above him. Despite repeating his mantra to stay awake, he had succumbed to the drugs effects. Whoever remained in the room after Madeline left had untied him and placed him on the battered couch. "How thoughtful," he muttered bitterly. Seto slowly stood up and walked outside. Alone on the tarmac, he braced himself slightly against the wind that had begun to pick up and looked around. All that was left was his airplane – the one with damaged landing strut. The other one – the one carrying the precious cargo of his brother – was long gone to places unknown.

Seto glanced at his watch. What he saw surprised him. He hadn't been asleep for nearly as long as he had expected. Apparently Madeline gave him enough of the drug to knock him out quickly but not enough that would make him sleep for a very long period of time. According to his watch, he couldn't have been asleep for much more than few hours. That meant Madeline didn't have too much of a head start.

He knew that he would have to think of a plan quickly. There might be time enough to do some damage control. Seto went back inside to the kitchen. He picked up the phone off of the receiver, dialed one of the few numbers he knew he could trust, and waited for someone to pick up. Being the type of person who liked others to be prompt, especially his own employees, Seto was already getting impatient at ring number two. Ring three. Nothing. Ring four. Still nothing. _Is he talking to someone else? What's the use of including call waiting on all company cell phones?_ he thought with growing frustration. Ring five…

"_Yes?"_

"Isona!" barked Seto.

"_Kaiba-sama!"_ Seto could just visualize Isona scrambling, trying to recover himself. "_I'm sorry for keeping you waiting sir."_ However, his boss wasn't in the mood for apologies.

"Where are you?"

"_I'm…near the office."_

_Near the office?_ "Whatever. I want you to come pick me up."

"_And….Mokuba-sama?"_ Isona asked cautiously. Seto paused.

"Just come pick me up," he said losing the gruff edge to his voice and gave Isona his location. After hanging up, Seto took to pacing. He was fully aware that getting Mokuba back was not going to be easy. Not easy, but not impossible. While Madeline's accusations had, as much as he hated to admit it, shaken him, he was not broken. Seto was still willing to fight tooth and nail for Mokuba.

Maybe he hadn't always been the best brother, but he knew in heart Mokuba didn't belong under anyone's care other than his. He believed it, Mokuba, he was pretty sure, believed it. The question then was whether he could convince others of that fact. That, however, could prove to be a great challenge considering Madeline's knowledge of their affairs and her talent of twisting things around. _How did she get all of that information?_ he wondered. It almost seemed like she had an insider working for her. _It doesn't matter, _thought Seto. _I will find a way to stop you._

"You may have won this round Madeline Ohhira," he said out loud to the empty room, "but the game is still on."

Whew! A new chapter - finally. Sorry for the long delays between updates. Classes have been keeping me pretty busy. Thank you for your patience. A great big thanks to those who reviewed too! Your feedback is wonderful, helpful, and very much appreciated.


	7. Webs of Deceit

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

* * *

Chapter 7 Webs of Deceit

Mokuba was feeling very much like his old self the next morning. That last night was the first night since his and Seto's troubles began that he had a sound and healthy sleep. He felt a little flutter of excitement and anticipation in his chest as he got dressed. Today was a new day. Mokuba was sure that he would find out what all the mystery had been about as their mission appeared to be over. The doctor had told him that he was safe. Surely that had meant Seto was able to complete whatever it was they needed to do while he was sick. What else could Dr. Hutchinson been suggesting? A wave of relief washed over him at the thought of everything going back to normal and he and his big brother going home.

As Mokuba opened the door to his bedroom, it dawned on him that he had no idea where he was going. All he knew was that he wanted to find Seto and get of there. But which way should he go? How would he go about finding anyone for that matter? Mokuba looked one way down the hallway and then up the other way. Figuring it didn't matter too much he decided to go right. He eventually found himself at the top of a large staircase where he luckily met a female servant.

"Ah Mr. Mokuba," she greeted in pleasantly professional manner. "You are up. I was just sent to fetch you. Breakfast is in the dining room." Seeing his confused expression she added, "Don't worry. I'll take you there."

The dining room was empty save for a lone person sitting at the end of a long table completely enveloped in the day's newspaper. _Seto's here! He must have gotten in late last night, _thought Mokuba happily. He laughed inwardly at the familiar sight. How like his niisama to be reading during breakfast. Things were already getting back to normal.

"Good morning!" Mokuba sang cheerfully as he made his way to the end of the table. At the sound of his voice, the newspaper lowered - and his heart sank with it. He stopped in his tracks. The solitary figure turned out not to be his big brother but the woman he met the day before. Mokuba realized a little late he shouldn't have assumed it would have been his brother in the dining room; it wasn't their home after all. He had just built up the expectation in his mind that he would find Seto right away. An "oh" filled with disappointment escaped his lips followed by a rather subdued "excuse me."

"No need, silly," Madeline said readily. "Good morning to you too. I see you are feeling much better. Come sit down." She gestured to a seat next to her. Not wanting to offend his hostess, Mokuba obediently sat in the indicated chair. Madeline smiled at him then wordlessly continued on with her morning routine of reading the paper.

Mokuba fiddled with his silverware while she finished her article. The silence was making him feel little uncomfortable. She seemed nice enough, but she was still practically a stranger. _Where is Seto?_ he wondered. At length, Madeline finally folded up her newspaper and took a sip of coffee.

"Ms. Ohhira," began Mokuba after a moment's hesitation. "Have you seen my brother?"

"No. No dear. Not today. Here, have some breakfast," she said genially as she passed him a dainty plate laden sliced fruit.

"Er. Thanks." He gently placed the plate in front of him. "Do you know when he will be coming here?"

"Hmmm?" Madeline didn't look up from the piece of toast she was buttering. Mokuba felt sure she was avoiding eye contact on purpose.

"My brother. Seto. When will he be here?"

"He's not dear. Eat up. Eat up. I'm sure you are hungry." Madeline held out the toast to him. Mokuba couldn't help but frown at this response. Her indifference was unsettling.

"No thanks. I'm really not," he answered as politely as he could as he waved away the proffered toast. Mokuba was getting frustrated and worried. " Wha..What do you mean he's not coming? Where is he?" Madeline didn't seem to notice his agitation.

"There are sweet rolls in the basket over there, if you prefer." That last statement was enough for Mokuba.

"I'm not hungry!" he exclaimed more forcefully than he intended. "Where is Seto? Why won't you tell me? Is something wrong?" All of his questions came flooding out at once. Madeline's initial expression of surprise dissolved into one that was troubled and sad. She turned her face away from the boy. "There is." His voice came out as a hoarsewhisper. "There is something wrong!" His eyes widened in fright. Mokuba's worry was quickly turning into an all out panic. It was a long minute before his hostess responded.

"Let's go for a walk, Mokuba," Madeline suggested in a soft voice. Mokuba, however, was struggling to find the will to move out of apprehension for what he was about to hear. He felt as though his own legs dangling from the edge of the chair had been transformed into two lifelessly hanging lead weights. Consumed in his own thoughts, all he could manage was to watch with detached interest as his hostess rose from her chair and placed her napkin on the table. Madeline noticed he wasn't moving and held a hand out to him. "Come on," she gently urged. At her insistence, Mokuba fumbled to his feet and allowed her to lead him out of the French doors of the dining room into a sunny courtyard garden. As beautiful as it was, Mokuba couldn't regain his previous light spirits.

"Has something…happened to Seto?" he asked cautiously as they began walking through the garden.

"He is as fine as he can be." Again it seemed as though she couldn't look at him. Her eyes remained fixed on the path before them.

"I don't understand," responded Mokuba. " What does that mean?" His voice was pleading. Madeline turned to face him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, Mokuba. This is very difficult. I'm not sure how to broach this subject with you. Forgive me if I blunder a little." Here she paused as if she was trying to formulate what to say next though it was really more for dramatic effect. Madeline soon broke the tense silence by speaking again. "Mokuba, have you noticed anything different about Seto lately?" she asked. "Has he been acting strangely? Perhaps a little paranoid?"

Mokuba didn't respond. Seto had always been an extremely guarded person. He trusted very few people and kept his affairs to himself. Mokuba didn't think that that could be construed as paranoid. _But he has been very secretive lately…_

"I'll take your silence as a yes." Madeline continued before Mokuba could object. "Erm. Do you know why you were at that middle-of-nowhere airport where I found you?"

"You found me?" _That doesn't seem right…but I'm not sure._

"Answer my question first then I will answer yours. Believe it or not, they actually tie together." Mokuba gave her a curious look.

"We had mechanical problems," he began with a shrug. "There was a bad storm too so…." Madeline cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"No, no. I mean, were you and your brother taking a vacation?"

"Seto said we had to leave. We had to do something about someone taking over our company."

"Ah." Madeline's tone suggested that she didn't believe his explanation and was humoring him.

"Its true!" protested Mokuba.

"Do you know who it was? Was it Industrial Illusions perhaps?" He slowly shook his head before responding.

"I…I don't know. I don't think so." Madeline looked a little shocked.

"You mean your brother didn't tell you?"

"No. He said he didn't want to tell me. You know, to protect me." That explanation had been good enough for him, therefore it should be good enough for her according to Mokuba's reasoning.

"That's interesting. Mokuba, I run my own large corporation so I do know a thing or two about matters like takeovers. You are the vice president of Kaiba Corp are you not?" Mokuba nodded. "As such you should have been actively involved in the decision making regarding the takeover. You should have known whom you were dealing with at the very least. Do you follow me?"

"Seto had his reasons." There was an agitated edge to Mokuba's voice.

"I'm sure he did; however, as a CEO I can't help but question what those reasons may have been. To be frank, I can't find the logic in leaving KC at a time when the company most needed its president. It is an unusual strategy to be sure. By the look on your face, I can tell you feel the same way."

"No!" Mokuba was getting defensive. There was no way he was going to admit that those thoughts had crossed his mind in the beginning. Besides, she had no right to question his brother's motives!

"You didn't find it a little unusual?" Mokuba paused ever so slightly.

"But Seto has always known what he was doing!" he shot back. There was not a doubt in his mind that business strategy was one thing that Seto was even better at than gaming strategy.

Madeline decided to change the subject. She was sure if she pressed the issue any further she would start an argument. "Well, you answered my question. It is now time for me to hold up my end of the bargain. You wanted to know how I found you." Mokuba nodded.

"I thought that Seto brought me here."

"Not quite dear. As luck might have it, I was on my way home and needed fuel for my plane. The nearest airport, for me, was the one where you and your brother were. When I arrived, it was very quiet there – seemingly deserted. I looked around the airport and didn't see anyone until I came to your room. There I found you sound asleep. It seemed odd that you were all alone so I tried to wake you up, but I couldn't rouse you. That scared me. Then I saw the bottle. It was for a sleeping drug, and it was nearly empty. No one else was around to help or ask what had happened. You looked to be in terrible shape, and I knew I had to get you to medical treatment. As my pilot and I were bringing you to my airplane, your brother appeared out of nowhere. He was stumbling and yelling like a maniac. I had to get you away! I had to protect you. Mokuba, I don't understand why, but I believe your brother drugged you."

Mokuba's face was slowing turning from a light shade of pink to a deep red as Madeline recounted her story. Finally, he exploded. "That's crazy! I don't believe it!" He pulled away from her.

"I really hope it is crazy, Mokuba. I hope I am wrong. If you remember anything, tell me now," implored Madeline. Try as he might, he couldn't recall much of anything that happened at the airport. Everything that happenedthere seemed like a hazy blur.

"I…I don't. I can't remember. Still, it can't be true!"

Madeline reached out to the boy, but he hung back. "Mokuba," she began. "The truth is, your brother is not in the right place to be able to take care of you; however, I can. I want to take you in and look after you, if you'll let me."

"You're wrong. He's my brother. He has always taken care of me." Mokuba was trying to fight the feelings of desperation and confusion that were threatening to overwhelm him. "Seto will try to find me. You'll see. He'll come for me soon, and when he does, everything will get straightened out."

"Sweetie, he knows I have you," Madeline's voice cracked with emotion. "I'm one of KC's stockholders; I shouldn't be hard to find. But…he hasn't tried to contact me or you since I brought you here."

Mokuba's face twisted up in anguish as he looked at the woman before him. Tears stung his eyes. "No," he whispered.

"Oh, Mokuba," said Madeline sympathetically. Again, she tried to reach out to him – to give him a comforting hug. He recoiled from her touch and shook his head.

"No." he repeated with more conviction. "Leave me alone!" and with those words he turned and fled back into the mansion.

"Wait! Mokuba, come back!" called out Mrs. Ohhira, but he didn't turn back. She didn't bother to run after him either.

Instead, Madeline smiled deviously as she admired the blossoms on a nearby rose bush. She was confident that with a little cultivation on her part, the seeds of doubt newly planted in the young Kaiba's mind would soon take root. Madeline picked one of the roses, and humming casually, made her way back into the dining room to finish her breakfast.

* * *

Right on schedule, Dr. Hutchinson arrived at the Ohhira household later that afternoon. The doctor found Madeline in her office massaging her temples. On her desk was an open bottle of aspirin.

"I'm guessing you told him, and he didn't take it well." Madeline lifted her head and gave him a plaintive look.

"That would be a bit of an understatement," she replied wryly. "I'm not sure if I know what I am doing."

"Don't worry," said Dr. Hutchinson consolingly. "Things will be rough in the beginning. You have to realize how difficult it is for the boy to process all that information. His whole world, everything that he believes in, has been turned upside down."

"How do I get him to trust me?"

"Give him space. Give him time. And let me speak with him. I will go check on him now." Madeline offered him a grateful smile.

"Thank you."

* * *

Dr. Hutchinson knocked on Mokuba's door. Somewhere from inside the room came a muffled shout.

"Go away!"

"Mokuba? This is Dr. Hutchinson. I'm here to give you your check-up." He heard some shuffling noises and then a dull click telling him the door had been unlocked. When he opened the door, he found his young patient sitting on the bed and looking a little disheveled.

"I heard you had a difficult morning." Mokuba gave him an annoyed look, but didn't say anything. His eyes were rimmed with red. "How are you feeling otherwise? Did you sleep well?" There was a silent nod in reply.

"It can't be true can it?" Mokuba asked quietly as the doctor checked his blood pressure.

"What can't be true?"

"Seto couldn't have drugged me. Why would he? He wouldn't do something like that; I know it." The doctor looked grave and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Unfortunately, those are questions I cannot answer. I can only speculate. What I do know is that there were no other people at the airport than the two of you, and that you had been given far too much of a sleeping drug."

"But I don't believe Seto would ever try to hurt me."

"I don't believe that either. He is your brother, and I am sure he loves you. I don't think that to hurt you was ever his intention, but that doesn't override the effect of his actions." Dr. Hutchinson paused as he put away his notepad. " Mokuba, has you brother put you in tough or dangerous situations before?" The boy looked torn, but remained tight-lipped. " It is all right," encouraged the doctor, "You can tell me."

"Never…never on purpose!" stammered Mokuba. His mind wandered back to the time when he thought Seto believed him to be a traitor and tossed him out only to find out it had been part of a larger plan to take over Kaiba Corp from Gozaburo. "And even if things got bad," Mokuba added, "he has always done what he thought was best for us."

"And did things get better?"

_Did things get better_? Mokuba often wondered that. It was an all too frequent wish of his that Seto had never beaten Gozaburo at chess forcing him to adopt them. But they were able to get out of the orphanage. Did taking over Kaiba Corp really make things better? Relatively, yes. They were rid of their cruel stepfather, but Seto worked very long hours and wasn't always the brother Mokuba wished him to be. "I suppose so," he finally answered.

"One thing that you should know, Mokuba," said the doctor, " is that sometimes our best intentions are not good enough. Even though he loves you, it doesn't seem like he is the best person to take care of you." Mokuba shook his head violently in silent protest. "But that is for the court to decide. Mrs. Ohhira is a good person and she is more than able to take care of you until your brother can figure some things out. Now get some rest. Everything will turn out just fine."

After he left, Mokuba buried his face in his pillow unable to bear all the troubling news he received. "It cant' be true," he muttered softly. "It just can't be."


	8. Trial by Fire

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Gi Oh

Chapter 8 Trial by Fire 

"Mr. Kaiba, we have been looking over the information you gave us about Madeline Ohhira. While much of your claims about her targeting your brother and your company are circumstantial at best…" the attorney's voice faltered slightly as Kaiba shot him a dangerous look. Trying hard to ignore the icy stare, he cleared his throat and began again. "While they are circumstantial, we believe that there is enough there that we can present a strong case for you. We will need to hinge our argument largely on your relationship with your brother."

"As far as we can tell," the second attorney interjected, "Ohhira does not have any evidence conclusively linking you to the apparent drugging of Mokuba. Demonstrating the strong bond the two of you share as well as your clear capacity to care for your little brother should, in all likelihood, be enough to sway the judge into our favor once your case comes to trial." She handed Kaiba a file of the information she and her partner compiled.

"Should be?" he asked casually as he perused the file's contents.

"Yes sir."

"It's _likely_ the judge will be convinced?"

"Yes."

"For the amount I'm paying you to represent me, the two you had better come up with plan that is guaranteed to work. I have to win; I need to win. Do you understand me?" The pair of attorney's looked taken aback.

"Yes, completely sir," the first one began. " It is just that the strength of your case depends to a great extent on the people who will witness on behalf of your character. This is where we will require your undivided cooperation."

"Are you that incompetent? I've given you a list of my most trusted employees and business associates, or are you trying to tell me you lost it already."

The second attorney took a steadying breath. "We have not lost your list, Mr. Kaiba," she explained. " Unfortunately, it was not as comprehensive as we had hoped."

"The people you have named will certainly play an important part in our argument, but what we need are more personal, friends perhaps," her partner added quickly.

Kaiba leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. "The list I gave you is satisfactory. Deal with it."

"With all due respect, we feel that it is not," said the second. "We've done some research and decided that we want to put a couple of your dueling companions on the stand."

The young CEO slowly straightened up in his chair. "Who?" he asked in a manner that dared his legal representation to respond.

The first attorney swallowed his apprehension and answered, "Yugi Mutou and Katsuya Jyonouchi." Kaiba shot out of his chair and slammed his fist on the desk.

"Those geeks? No! Absolutely not!"

"We must insist, Mr. Kaiba."

"Oh you do you?"

"They know you on a level that your employees and associates do not," argued the first attorney. "They are your classmates and are fellow duelists. As such, both have spent a great deal of time with you. Even though you complain about them, the three of you always seem to be drawn together. Moreover, and perhaps most importantly, they have befriended Mokuba, have they not? You couldn't ask for better personal witnesses."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "You know, I really think I could. I refuse to include them," he retorted. Just the thought of Yuugi saving the day, saving his hide, was almost more than he could bear. If anyone was going to bring Mokuba back it was going to be him, not some spiky-haired, wannabe hero.

"Then you are running out of options," was the blunt reply of the second attorney. "Like it oar not, if you want to win this case, they are going to be your best shot."

* * *

_"For our first character witness, the defense calls Katsuya Jyonouchi to the stand."_

_Kaiba remained composed, but desperately wanted to rake his hand through his hair in frustration. He wondered for the umpteenth time how his attorneys convinced him this was a good strategy. In his heart, Kaiba knew what was about to happen was not going to be pretty._

_"Mr. Jyonouchi, how would you describe your relationship with the defendant?"_

_"Well, uh, we've been through a lot together. You know, duels and…stuff. We haven't always gotten along."_

_"Oh?"_

_"I mean sometimes it is like pulling teeth trying to get Kaiba to help out, but when I think about it, he always comes through at the end. Especially if Mokuba is involved."_

_"Would you say that they have a close relationship?"_

_"Yeah, definitely. He's like a big ol' mama bear and Mokuba's his cub." Jyonouchi gave Kaiba a cheesy grin then added seriously, "Ya don't get in between them cuz, well, cuz all they got is each other."_

_"The defense rests. No further questions." Jyonouchi looked pleased with himself. Kaiba looked seriously peeved at being called a mama bear. His attorneys tried to give him words of encouragement as the prosecution began its cross-examination._

_"Mr. Jyonouchi, you spoke of the defendant 'coming through' to help out in certain situations. Can you think of any specific instances?"_

_"Oh sure." There was a stretch of silence that followed his answer._

_"Would you mind telling them to the court?" asked the prosecuting attorney. A few muffled giggles could be heard coming from the back of the courtroom._

_"Um, okay. There was this time at….er. Well, this one time we were….no that won't work…hang on a minute."_

_"Mr. Jyonouchi, anything at all." The poor boy was getting frustrated. He could think of many times, but none that he could describe to the court. How could he explain Kaiba helping them stop Marik or Dartz or even how he helped them in the Pharaoh's memory world? Everything he could think of would involve the Shadow Realm or living duel monsters or people having their souls removed. No one would believe him._

_"Um, at the Battle City Finals, Kaiba gave Yugi a card that helped him win," he offered weakly._

_"That is it?" Jyonouchi's mouth moved like he was trying to say something else. He knew if he didn't say something else he would discredit his previous responses and Mokuba would be lost._

_"No further questions."_

_"Wait! I'm not done," cried Jyonouchi._

_"No further questions."_

_"You may step down Mr. Jyonouchi," said the judge. Kaiba's attorneys shared a quick glance before they proceeded with their witnesses. Things were not going as well as they had planned._

_"Next we call Yugi Mouto to the stand." The court watched as Yugi shyly walked to the front of the courtroom and sat down. In true Yugi fashion, he charmed the court with his ideals of friendship. Kaiba vacillated between being bored by Yugi's statements and strangely thankful that the duelist was there to testify on his behalf. He snapped to full attention, however, when it was the other side's turn._

_"Mr. Mutou, would you consider the defendant a friend of yours," began the prosecuting attorney._

_"Yes. Absolutely."_

_"Interesting. Why is that?"_

_Yugi thought carefully before he responded. "Everyone thinks that he is proud and aloof, and yeah he can be. But Kaiba has a good character, a sense of right and wrong, and doesn't stand by to see others pushed around. He stands up for what he believes in, and is a devoted brother."_

_The prosecuting attorney gave him an incredulous look. "Uh huh. Well, Mr. Mutou I am going to have to question your sense of judgment."_

_"Objection!" cried the defense._

_"Sustained," ordered the judge. "Where are you going with this?"_

_"My next few questions will be more direct," the attorney promised. After giving the statement a moment of consideration the judge nodded and gave his consent._

_"Proceed."_

_"Thank you, your Honor," replied the attorney before turning back to face Yugi. "You call the defendant a friend, but did he not duel your grandfather?"_

_Yugi looked a little shocked that someone outside of their circle knew of that event. "Yes," he answered quietly._

_"And what happened?"_

_The spiky-haired duelist looked a little uncomfortable. "Grandpa had to be taken to the hospital because of his heart."_

_"So he dueled your grandfather knowing that he couldn't take the strain."_

_"I don't think he kne…"began Yugi, but he wasn't given the chance to complete his comment._

_"Mr. Mutou, you said that the defendant was a devoted brother."_

_"If I could just clarify my last statement…"_

_The attorney looked impatient. "Yes or no? Is the defendant a devoted brother?"_

_"Yes. He would do anything for Mokuba," declared Yugi emphatically._

_"Anything?" The attorney raised his eyebrows. "Would he give up dueling, forsake his fortune?"_

_"Yes, I believe so, yes."_

_"Would he die for him?"_

_Yugi gave a slow nod. "Yes," he replied._

_"You sound certain about that."_

_"I am."_

_"That is interesting because I heard he would rather risk his life for causes less noble. Mr. Mutou, you dueled the defendant at Duelist Kingdom did you not?"_

_Yugi visibly blanched at the question. "Yes, we dueled."_

_"And who won the duel."_

_"He did…technically."_

_"That must have been some move to beat you, the reigning duel king. How did he win?"_

_"Mr. Mutou?" It was obvious that Yugi didn't want to answer. "Mr. Mutou, must I remind you that you are under oath?"_

_"No."_

_"I will ask you again, how did the defendant win?"_

_Yugi shifted uneasily in his seat before he answered. "He forced my hand."_

_"Would you mind explaining this concept to the rest of the court?"_

_"He, um, climbed on to the ledge of the tower wall. I…I had to choose between not attacking and losing and attacking and winning but risking him being knocked off the tower," he ended in a rush._

_"I see. Let the record show that Seto Kaiba, the sole guardian of his younger brother, would risk his own life just to win a game."_

_"You don't understand!" protested Yugi._

_"What is there to not understand, Mr. Mutou? Did he or did he not stand on the ledge to win?"_

_"Yes, but.." a look of desperation flashed across Yugi's large, expressive eyes as he was interrupted once again._

_"But I think your loyalties are misplaced." The attorney grinned. "No further questions."_

_As far as the prosecution was concerned they were finished; however Yugi was not. "But he is a good brother, I know it! If you would just let me explain"_

_"Mr. Mutou," warned the judge._

_"At Duelist Kingdom, he wasn't dueling for himself. He was dueling for…"_

_"Mr. Mutou take your seat or I will have you thrown out of my court!" Realizing that he could do no more, Yugi nodded and stepped down from the stand. As he passed the defense table, he cast Kaiba a plaintive look as if to convey how sorry he was. Kaiba gave an almost imperceptible nod before quickly looking away. At that moment, receiving pity was absolutely unbearable. They had failed; he knew it. Kaiba wondered to himself how things could have gone so terribly wrong._

"Mr. Kaiba? Mr. Kaiba?"

Seto Kaiba woke startled to find himself in his office and not a courtroom. In his hands was the information file his attorneys had left him some hours earlier. Right now, iIt was late. The only light in the room shone from his small desk lamp. Next to him stood Isona looking at him with concern.

"It's late Mr. Kaiba. Perhaps you should call it a night."

"I'll leave when I'm ready," grumbled a half asleep Kaiba. "I just need to make some last minute arrangements. There is some important business I need to take care of tomorrow."

"Very good sir." Kaiba watched Isona make his way out of the office as his computer rebooted from stand-by mode. "Whatever happens," he said to himself, "I can't let this case make it to court."

* * *

A/N: I really should be strung up by my toes for how long it has taken me to update this story! Too much homework and too little inspiration equals no new chapters I guess. Please forgive my lack of knowlege about the court system. Hopefully it made sense as I really didn't know what I was doing. I'm in anthropology not poli sci : ) 


	9. Help in Unusual Places

Disclaimer: I do not own YGO

Chapter 9: Help in Unusual Places

It was an extraordinarily beautiful morning at the Crawford estate. Pegasus sighed contentedly as he took in the dewy newness of the waking world and delighted in the fresh air. In his mind, there simply couldn't be anything better than taking his morning repast al fresco. Except maybe in his study when it was rainy out, or in bed when he had been up late the night before. Yes, those were certainly pleasant too.

"Master Pegasus?" queried Crockets. "Forgive my intrusion, sir, but you have a visitor."

Pegasus gave him a petulant look, annoyed that his quiet musings had been disturbed. "This early? Well, tell whomever it is they can wait. I shall be…"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off by said visitor who had taken it upon himself to enter Pegasus' balcony sans invitation.

"I don't have time to wait," he practically growled. "I need to talk to you _now_."

An amused smile crept over Pegasus' lips. Perhaps he could make time for this guest. Encounters with this young man always proved entertaining.

"Kaiba-boy! What a pleasant surprise. I haven't seen your smiling face in ages." He gestured at an empty chair, inviting Kaiba to sit. "Please excuse me I was just finishing breakfast. Mimosa? No of course not you are too young." Pegasus motioned for a servant to lean in closer. "He'll have juice," he said in a loud whisper placing an order for his unexpected guest.

Kaiba gave him a withering look. "I won't be having anything," he interjected stiffly as he took a seat.

Pegasus merely shrugged. "Suit yourself," was his light reply. He certainly wasn't going to let his guest's inability to take a joke to spoil what was left of a fine morning. "So Kaiba-boy, to what do I owe the honor?"

"You can cut the pleasantries, Pegasus. This isn't a social call."

"Of course not. It never is with you. It is always work, work, work. But from what I hear, work is something you are going to be a little short on sometime soon. Seems a Mrs. Ohhira is 'this close' to taking over for you at Kaiba Corp," Pegasus annoyingly gestured with his thumb and index finger.

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "Word apparently travels quickly," he growled. "How do you know this?" He asked, suddenly on the defensive. Pegasus surprisingly wasn't on his list of suspected conspirators. There didn't seem to be enough of a motive, but he could never be too careful around that man. Kaiba leaned forward over the table and jabbed a finger in his host's direction. "If I find that you…"

"I have my sources just as I am sure you do," replied Pegasus with a dismissive wave of his hands. "A company is nothing more than a lame duck, or a sitting duck for that matter, without some intimate links into the goings on of the business world. Imagine my surprise to learn that of all people you were the one to get your ducks knocked out of their row. It's a tough break, really," he added. You have my condolences."

Temporarily mollified about Pegasus' lack of involvement though seething at the duck comment, Kaiba sat back down. "I don't need your condolences," he bit out. "Save them for your own employees. Things aren't going to be all peaches and cream for you either. Madeline Ohhira is planning to reorganize the company."

"Mmm, yes, I know," commented Pegasus as he disinterestedly fiddled with his napkin. "She has her little war tech scheme."

Kaiba leaned forward on his elbows and lowered his voice. "Then you should also know the chances of your contract with KC being renewed is slim to none." This was his trump card. He had to play it well.

The napkin suddenly no longer held much interest to Pegasus. He affected an unconcerned visage. "An unfortunate, but small consequence. I still have the Von Schroeder Company to fall back on."

"Ha!" Kaiba scoffed. "That so-called company is worthless by comparison. Their products are second-rate knock-offs of what Kaiba Corp produces. When was the last time they produced anything worthwhile? Depend on them alone and your stocks will plummet. No one will want to play your game if all they have is cheap equipment. If Kaiba Corp goes down, so will Industrial Illusions; I guarantee it."

Pegasus furrowed his eyebrows. There was certainly some merit to Kaiba's dismal prediction he couldn't ignore. "I'll admit that scenario has crossed my mind. It is worrisome, the thought of my pocketbook feeling a little…pinchy, and at the absolute very worst suffering the loss of my company as well, but something tells me you are not here to warn me how my stocks are going to fare."

A triumphant smirk found its way onto Kaiba's face. "I'm calling in a solid 'you owe me'. It is in your best interest, after all."

* * *

Mokuba sat on the edge of his bed with his head bowed and hands by his knees tightly gripping the duvet cover. While his breathing was still a little ragged from his argument with Madeline, his mind, at least, was no longer racing with confused thoughts. They all focused on one sentiment. 

_She has to be lying._

Things just didn't add all the way up. They certainly did when Madeline was doing the adding, but when Mokuba took a closer look, it seemed to him her math was a little fuzzy.

_Or maybe it's because my memory is fuzzy._ He thought with a sigh then straightened up as he gathered more conviction. _No. Well, yeah it is, except the bits I do remember don't fit into what she told me. She said that Seto and I were all alone in the airport._ _But, I don't think we were._ Mokuba folded his arms across his chest as he willed himself to remember._ There was another guy there, a weird, creepy guy. I know it. What was his name?_ _And how does this Ohhira lady fit into all of this? I don't trust her. If she's one of our investors, Seto must have mentioned her before. Think, Mokuba!_

Pushing himself off the bed, Mokuba began pacing around the room. _Okay. I need to find a computer to get to our KC files and dig up some dirt on her. There's got to be one around here somewhere and a phone. If I could just call Seto without her knowing it…_

His eyes drifted over to where his coat lay folded on the chair.

_Oh yeah! I left my cell phone in my pocket. _

Mokuba could feel his pulse quicken as he hungrily searched his coat. He was only moments away from contacting his big brother.

It's got to be here… 

Mokuba emptied both main pockets. No luck.

Please be here… The nervous excitement he felt seconds before quickly turned into quiet desperation gnawing away at the pit of his stomach. All the blood in his fingers seemed to have drained away as he looked in the liner pocket. 

It wasn't there either. The coat slid from his slackened grasp onto the ground. Mokuba didn't bother to pick it back up and return it to the chair. Leaning against the closed door of the closet, he slumped down in defeat to sit on the floor. Mokuba propped his elbows on his knees and rested his chin in his hands.

"It must have fallen out," he muttered to the traitorous coat. _Or, she took it._ Just then, something white, nearly hidden by the coat, caught Mokuba's attention.

An envelope? 

He vaguely recalled pulling it out during his search. Stretching out his right foot, Mokuba caught the envelope under his heel and pulled it within reaching distance.

"Why was I carrying this?" he asked himself as he turned the envelope over in his hands.

There weren't any identifying markers on it. No logos, no names, no addresses. Nothing.

_Weird. _He shrugged. _I guess it must be mine; it was in my pocket._

Mokuba carefully ran his index finger under the flap and broke the seal. He stared at the open envelope not even realizing he was holding his breath.

_What ever is in there might be really important. _He reached inside and felt his fingers brush against stiff paper – a card!

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Mokuba watched with wide eyes as the knob began to turn. There was no way he was going to let anyone take the mystery card away from him. Thinking quickly, he folded the envelope, shifted slightly to slide it into the back pocket of his jeans, and sat back down. Madeline walked in just as he got resituated.

"There you are, darling." She knelt down beside him. "How are you doing?" Mokuba darted his eyes in her direction but did not respond. "I know it was hard for you to hear what I told you this morning. I do. Please understand I'm only trying to help you."

Failing again to get a verbal reaction from the boy, Madeline gestured to the toys and games in the room. "Now that you are up and about, I'd hate for you to get bored. All of these things are here for your disposal. I personally picked out…."she rambled.

Mokuba stopped listening and turned his attention to the pile. He had initially ignored it, having other things on his mind, but Mokuba took a closer look now out of curiosity. Most of the things he already owned and, therefore, weren't that interesting. However, his eyebrows did rise when he saw a duel disk. Only one. Madeline obviously didn't understand you need two people in order to make using a duel disk worthwhile. _Some stockholder she is,_ Mokuba sniffed.

….They might help you to take your mind off things. I'm sorry I can't stay longer," added Madeline as she affectionately his hair out of his face. "There is a phone call I need to make, but I'll check on you later."

_Phone call._ Mokuba saw his chance to get the information he needed so badly and did his best to keep his expression stoic. He held himself back a full ten seconds before he crept to the door and opened it a crack to see which way she went. The envelope was temporarily forgotten. Right now, he wanted to follow Madeline in order to find a phone or at least eavesdrop and find out what she was up to.


End file.
